Retrieving device for submerged articles



Aug. 21, 1962 .1. R. MENNENGA RETRIEVING DEVICE FOR SUBNIERGED ARTICLES Filed DSG. 13, 1960 8 9/0 5 Fra INVENToR. JoHN R. MENNENGA A T TORNEYS United States Patent O 3,049,733 RETRIEVING DEVICE FOR SUBMERGED ARTECLES John R. Mennenga, 721 11th St., Box 442, Worthington, Minn. Filed Dee. 13, i950, ser. No. 75,623 1 Claim. (Cl. 9 9) This invention relates generally to retrieving devices, and more particularly it relates to an automatic retrieving `device for articles which may accidentally become submerged in water.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles which is provided with an extremely fast acting release mechanism so that the retrieving device is actuated within a very few seconds after the same is submerged in water.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles which is provided with means for entrapping a quantity of air within the device, which air is automatically released by the release mechanism of my invention so as to impart an additional ejecting force to the fioat of the device whereby to increase the speed of the ejection of said oat.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles which is designed and constructed so that the float of the device will rise to the surface in a generally vertical position so as to aid the unwinding of a retrieving line and also to reduce the possibility of the float becoming caught on an obstruction in the water.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles in which the locking strip, which forms a portion of the release mechanism of my invention, is also used to hold together different parts of my invention after the device becomes submerged in water.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles in which the iioat thereof is so designed and constructed as to resist the downward force thereon by the sinking of the article within the water and thereby increase the speed of the float in reaching the surface of the water.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles in which the energy of the release mechanism thereof is provided by a compressed spring, and in which the locking strip thereof is formed from a material which has suiiicient tensile strength when dry to resist the strain imparted thereto from the energy stored in said compressed spring but which is unable to resist said strains when the locking strip is acted upon by water whereby the locking strip is parted and the float is released from within the casing of the retrieving device.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles which is extremely easy and simple to load in its ready position without the use of extraneous tools or instruments.

Further objects of this invention reside in the provision of a retrieving device for submerged articles which is durable and strong in construction, relatively economical to manufacture, and highly eiiicient in the eiectuation of its purposes.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claim and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts or elements throughout the several views;

FIG. l is a view in elevation of my invention, showing the same attached to a shing rod which is submerged Patented Aug. 21, 1962 in a body of water, and also showing the iioat of my invention in its released position at the surface of the water;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of my invention in its assembled or loaded form, some parts being broken away;

FIG. 3 is a view in longitudinal section taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a reduced view in elevation of my invention but showing the same as it would appear shortly after it has been submerged in water and shortly after the locking strip has been parted, some parts being broken away and some parts shown in section.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, my retrieving device, represented generally by the reference numeral 1, is secured to a fishing rod A by means of a suitable bracket 2. Although the retrieving device 1 is shown as being mounted on the fishing rod A near the handle portion thereof, it should be understood that the same may be suitably mounted on any portion of a fishing rod A so as not to interfere with the normal use of the rod A.

In accordance with my invention, the retrieving device 1 comprises a tubular casing 3 of constant -diameter throughout its length and having open ends 4 and 5. A release cylinder, represented generally by the reference numeral 6, is normally received Within the tubular casing 3, the release cylinder 6 having one open end 7 and one closed end S. It is noted that the release cylinder 6 is also formed to be of constant diameter throughout its length and the outer diameter thereof is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular casing 3, as seen particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4. Referring to said FIGS. 3 and 4, a compression coil spring 9 is generally coaxially received within the lrelease cylinder 6 with one end 10 of the spring 9 in abutment with the closed end 8 of the release cylinder 6. It is noted that the open end 7 of the cylinder 6 terminates in spaced relation to the open end 4 of the `tubular casing 3, as seen particularly in FIG. 3.

For the purpose of providing a marker for establishing the submerged position of a fishing rod lor other article which has been dropped into the water, an elongated float, represented generally by the reference numeral 11, is provided. The float 11 is adapted to be detachably received within the release cylinder 6 in generally co-aXial relationship therewith. The float 11 is formed to define an enlarged ball portion 12 at one end thereof, a bell portion 13 at the other end thereof, and a reduced intermediate portion 14. The iioat `11 is detachably secured within the release cylinder 6 in a manner which will be hereinafter particularly described. It is noted that the bell portion 13 of the oat 11 defines an axially opening bore or recess 15 which is adapted to .receive the other end 16 of the coil spring 9 when the oat 11 is in the position shown in FIG. 3 wherein the recess delining 4bell portion 13 of the iioat 11 is disposed in spaced relation to the closed end 8 of the release cylinder 6 in engagement with the spring 9 to normally maintain the same in compression. The ball portion 12 of the float 11 normally extends beyond the open end 7 of the release cylinder 6, said ball portion 12 being of a diameter generally approximating the outer diameter of the release cylinder 6. Referring particularly to FIG. 4, it will be noted that the ball portion 12 of the iioat 11 is preferably, and as shown, formed from a hollow ball-like shell which is screw threaded, as at 17, to the float 11 for the purpose of making the ball portion 12 relatively more buoyant than the remainder of the float 11 whereby to insure that the same Will rise through the water in a generally vertical position after it is released from the casing 3. A retrieving line 18 is wound upon the reduced intermediate portion 14 of the oat 11 and has its inner end secured thereto, as at 19, and its outer end Vsecured to the release cylinder, as at 20.

For the purpose of forming a release mechanism which will release the float 11 from within the tubular casing 3 with a heretofore unknown high rate of speed when the retrieving device 1 becomes submerged in water, an elongated locking strip, represented generally by the reference numeral 21, is provided. The locking strip 21 is adapted to be normally disposed with its intermediate portion 22 in engagement with the protruding ball portion 12 of the float 11 and with its opposite ends 23 folded back along the float 11 and snugly disposed intermediate the outer surface 24 of the release cylinder 6 and the inner surface 25 of the tubular casing 3 and also snugly disposed intermediate the outer transverse circumferential portion 26 of the ball portion 12 and the inner surface 25 of the tubular casing 3 whereby to secure the float 11 and the release cylinder 6 within the casing 3. See FIG. 3. The locking strip 21 is formed from a material, an example being paper, which has sufficient tensile strength when dry to resist the strain imparted thereto from the energy stored in the compressed spring 9 but which is unable to resist said strain when the locking strip 21 is acted upon by water whereby the locking strip is parted as shown in FIG. 4 and the float `11 is released from within the casing 3. It is noted that the remainder of my device may be formed from any rigid material, such as metal or plastic, the ball portion 12 of the float 11 of course being formed so as to be more buoyant than the remainder of the float 11. Referring again to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the ball portion 12 of the float 11 is spherical in form so that the same rnay be normally seated, as at 27, against the open end 7 of the release cylinder 6 and normally maintained thereagainst by the locking strip 21 whereby to trap a quantity of air within the release cylinder 6. It is important that the ball portion 12 be sufficiently seated against the open end 7 of the cylinder 6 so that when the float 111 is released from within the casing 3, said quantity of air will escape and impart an additional ejecting force to the float 11.

Having specifically described my invention, the opera- -tive simplicity thereof should be set forth. After the retrieving line 1 is wound upon the intermediate portion 1-4 of the oat 11, the retrieving device 1 is loaded or placed in its ready position -by rst placing the center of the locking strip 21 over the axially free end of the ball portion 12 of the float 11 and then placing the recess defining bell portion 13 over the coil spring 9, and depressing the oat 11 into the release cylinder 6 until the ball portion 12 is seated against the open end 7 of the cylinder 6, as shown in FIG. 3. Then the said free ends 23 of the locking strip 21 are grasped and held tightly against the sides of the release cylinder 6 (making sure that the ball portion 12 of the oat 11 remains seated against the cylinder 6), and the oat carrying release cylinder 6 is then inserted in the tubular casing 3 through the open end 5 thereof, the locking strip 'thereby being snugly received intermediate the inner surface 25 of the casing 3 and the outer surfaces 24, 26 of the cylinder 6 and the ball portion 12. Then the oat carrying cylinder 6 is pushed toward the open end 4 of the casing 3 until the ball portion 12 of the float 11 is slightly beyond the open end 4 of the casing 3, as shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3. The retrieving device 1 is now in its ready position and whenever the same becomes submerged in water the locking strip 21 is thereafter unable to resist the strain imparted by the spring 9 and is parted approximately where it is interposed between the ball portion 12 and inner surface 25 of the casing 3, as shown particularly in FIG.' 4. Thereafter the force of the coil spring 9, in cooperation with the air contained within the cylinder 6, forces the float 1.1 out of the casing 3,

after which the float rises in a generally vertical position to the surface of the water, as shown in FIG. 1, the retrieving line 18 being nnwound from the oat 11 as the same spins towards the surface of the Water. It is noted that the recess 15 in the bell portion 13 of the float -11 is of extreme importance during the floating of the float 11 towards the surface of the water since the recess 15 is useful in counteracting the downward pull exerted on the iloat 11 by the sinking fishing rod A.

This invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above stated objects; and while I have shown and described above a preferred embodiment thereof in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated I wish it to be specically understood that the same may be modiiied without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claim.

What I dlaim is:

A retrieving device for an article submerged in water, said retrieving device comprising an open-ended tubular casing having an inner cylindrical surface and also having means for aflixing the retrieving device to said article, a release cylinder having one open end and one closed end, said release cylinder being normally received in saidcasing and having a cylindrical outer surface of a slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of the inner surface of said casing, a compression coil spring generally coaxially received within said release cylinder in abutment with the closed end of said release cylinder, an lelongated float adapted to be detachably received Within said release cylinder and having one end portion thereof disposed in spaced relation to the closed end of said release cylinder in engagement with said spring to normally maintain said spring in compression, an enlarged other end portion defined by said float which other end portion normally extends beyond the open end of said release cylinder and is of a diameter generally approximating the outer diameter of said release cylinder, said other end portion of said float having an outer surface disposed in closely spaced relationto the inner surface of said casing and in general axial alignment with the outer surface of said release cylinder, a retrieving line wound upon said float generally intermediate the opposite end portions thereof and having its inner end secured thereto and its outer end secured to said release cylinder, an elongated paper locking strip having an intermediate portion normally disposed in engagement with said enlarged other end portion of said float and also having opposite end portions which are folded back along said oat and snugly interposed intermediate the aligned outer surfaces of said release cylinder and said enlarged other end portion of said oat and the inner surface of said casing so as to secure said oat and said release cylinder within said casing, said enlarged other end portion of said float having a generally spherical portion normally seated against the open end of said release cylinder and normally maintained thereagainst `by said locking strip whereby to trap a quantity of air within said release cylinder, and said locking strip being formed from a paper material which has sufficient tensile strength when dry to resist the stress imparted thereto from said compressed spring but which is unable to resist said stress when said locking strip is acted upon by water whereby said locking strip is parted and said float is released from within said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,479,021 Perkins Aug. 16, 1949 2,531,586 Ramsey Nov. 28, 1950 2,539,548 Norris Jan. 30, 1951 

